ABSTRACT
Belarus's first nuclear power plant (NPP) is located in Ostrovets, near the border with Lithuania. The procedure behind the transboundary environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the construction of this NPP required the application of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context. As the nature of nuclear energy-related activities involves a potentially wide scope of severe impacts, a great deal of public concern has been raised by this issue, not to mention the potential impact on national interest, in view of which the sound and transparent transboundary EIA procedure is of great importance. The implementation of the transboundary EIA has led to a degree of misunderstanding and disagreement between these neighbouring countries, with the issue being escalated to the Espoo Convention's Implementation Committee. The proceedings between Lithuania and Belarus have revealed the peculiarities and limitations of any practical implementation of an EIA.
